Pressure cooker



July 10, 1951 w. L. MORRISON, JR 2,559,728

PRESSURE COOKER INVENTOR. \9#LLARD L. MORRlSONJR KL, w,

Original Filed June 25, 1947 Fuel/4 ATTORNEY Patented July 10, 1951 PRESSURE COOKER Willard L. Morrison, In, Chicago, Ill., assignor to West Bend Aluminum "00., West-Bend, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Original application .June 25, 1947., Serial No. 756,911. Divided'and thisapplication'July 3, 1948, Serial No; 36,891

2'0laimsr 1 This invention relates to improvements in pressure cookers and pressure regulators therefor. This is a division of the application of Willard L. Morrison, Jr., for Pressure Cooker, Ser. No. 756,911, filed June 25, 1947, now Patent No. 2,538,583.

In the application of Leonard A. Finch, ,Ser. No. 676,671, filed June 14, 1946, now Patent No. 2,534,164, dated December 12, 1950, and assigned to West Bend Aluminum 00.; the assignee of this application, there is described and claimed a pressure regulator which cannot be closed-to regulating position unless the cover has been completely locked, and which will be moved to vent position as the unlocking movement of the cover is started. It is possible, however, by exerting abnormal force, to rapidly complete the unlocking movement of the cover before the pressure has entirely dropped. If this is done the cover will jump up and'the steam can escape in such fashion as to injure the hands of the person holding the cooker.

One of the objects of this invention therefore is to provide a pressure cooker the cover of which may not be unlocked until the pressure within the cooker has dropped to within a few ounces of atmospheric pressure eliminating all danger.

To prevent the cover from being unlocked while pressure remains within the cooker, there is .provided a recess in the rim of the cover which has a lockingedge abuttable against the cover-holding lug to preventfurther turning ofthe cover, if there is sufiicient pressure within the cooker to urge the cover upwardly against thecover-holding lug. As the cover is rotated toward unlocked position the-recess in the flange comes into alinement with the cover-holding lug. The pressure in the cooker will force the cover upwardly with respect to the lug so that it seats fiushly within the recess and the locking edge abuts against the holding lug and prevents further rotation. However, when the-pressure hasdecreased to substantially atmospheric pressure the cover will drop and the lug will become disengaged from the looking edge and the rotation of the cover toward "unlocked position may again be resumed.

'The'novel features, which are considered characteristic of the invention, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

of the container.

2 Fig. 1 isa top plan view of a pressure cooker embodying the present invention, with parts broken away for the sake of clarity in illustrating, showing the cover in fully locked position;

Fig. 2 is aview similar to'the view of Fig. .1 but with the cover shown rotated to a position between locked and unlockedposition;

Fig. 3 is an enlargedfragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. iisan enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawingby reference numerals, the pressure cooker comprises a container Ill which .is provided with the customary handle 1! by which the container may be manipulated. The container Iii is provided at oppositely spaced portions with cover-holding orretaining lugs I2 and I3 which have lips projecting over a rim on the cover. The lug .I3 is preferably (but not necessarily) formed at the juncture of the handle II with the wall of the container ID. Such position causes the pouring sides. f the container to be free from any projections which would interfere with the normal emptying of the contents The purpose of these lugs I2 and .I3 is to limit and restrain the upward movement of the cover member I4 under the influence of pressureabove atmosphere generated within the container, and their size is designed to provide adequate holding strength. The details of the cover I4 and the seal and the manner of lockingthe' cover on the container are described in detail in the parent application. The seal .is of such character that it is not essential to press or clamp down the cover against the container to form the seal. As pressure greater than the atmosphere is generated within the container the cover will rise until it abuts the lips of the lugs I2 and I3. In order to prevent the cover from rising beyond the limits of the holding lugs 12 and I3 it is provided with a laterally and circumferentially extending rim I8 which fits under the lips of lugs I2 and I3. This rim I8 is provided with an opening I9 adjacent the handle 20. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the opening I9 is spaced angularly clockwise from the juncture betweenthe handle 20 and the cover I4. The opening I9 is, of course, long enough to permit the lug I3 to pass therethrough so that the .rim I8 may be placed-below the lip of. lug I3. With this construction; to position the cover I4 on the container the rim i8 opposite handle 20 is slid under the lip of lug I2 while said handle is raised from normal position and then the handles II and 20 are relatively rotated and positioned so that opening I9 is in alinement with lug 3 whereupon the handle side of the cover I4 may be lowered so that the lug |3 passes through th opening l9 permitting the rim Hi to rest flush against the upper edge of the con tainer l and lie below the lip of said lug. T0 lock the cover |4 the handle 20 is moved in a clockwise rotation relative to the container l0 until the handles are in substantial alinement as shown in Fig. 1. This causes the rim I8 to pass under the lip of lug i3. A small pin 2| or other like abutment positioned on the upper edge of the container l0 adjacent the juncture of the handle I with said container will engage the edge of the rim |8 at the opening 19 to arrest the clockwise motion of the cover when the handles are in substantial alinement. When the cover has been fully rotated from the unlocked position to the fully locked position shown in Fig. 1 the full areas of the lugs l2 and i3 will have a surfaceto-surface abutment with the rim N3 of the container when it is moved upwardly by internal pressure and jointly act to keep the cover M from rising farther.

The pressure regulator body 2'! is pivoted to bracket 22 and is moved to venting position by the initial commencement of the rotation of the cover from completely locked position. However, it is possible by exerting sufiicient strength on the respective handles to complete the unlocking of the cover before the pressure within the cooker has reached atmosphere. This is because the escape of steam through the vent is not fast enough to relieve the pressure .before the, lock is opened. When this occurs, the handle 20 and the cover I are swung upwardly about the lug I I2 as a fulcrum. This permits steam to escape radially from the cooker at the handle side which in many cases could easily burn or scald the hands of the unwary user. To prevent the cover from being completely unlocked before the pressure has subsided to atmosphere, a safety locking device is incorporated which comprises an elongated recess 4| cut in the top of the rim l8. This recess is slightly longer than the length of the holding lip or lug I2. It has a locking edge 42 at its clockwise or left hand end, as viewed in Figs 1 to 4, inclusive. The recess 4| is spaced, as so viewed, angularly clockwise from that axis of the cover It which coincides with the axis of the handle 20 so that when the cover is in the locked position shown in Fig. l the counterclockwise end of the recess 4| is approximately at the center of the lug i2. As the cover 20 is rotated from locked toward unlocked position, the recess 4| will come into alinement with the lug l2, as is shown in Fig. 2 before the opening l9 comes into alinement with the lug l3. If there is any pressure greater than atmosphere in the cooker at such time, the cover it will move upwardly so that the locking edge 42 abuts against the edge of the lug l2 and locks the cover against any further rotation. When the pressure within the container has dropped low enough to permit the cover to drop down on the top of the container, such locking engagement will become disengaged and the cover can be moved to unlocked position. It should be noted that when the cover is locked the end of recess 4| forms a bearing point which is offset inwardly from the opposite bearing point. Because of this there is a tendency for the cover to tilt under pressure so that the lower edge of the cover, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is raised farther from the top of the container than the opposite side. One advantage of this is that it insures that the locking edge 42 of recess 4| will be raised upwardly and be certain to engage with the edge of the lug I2.

Although only one embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it will be understood that this application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as come within the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a pressure cooker, a container having a container handle, a first lug on said container at the juncture of said handle and said container, a second lug on said container opposite said first lug, said lugs each having lips projecting inwardly of said container, a cover for said container having a laterally and circumferentially extending rim insertible under said lips to be engaged thereby to hold said cover on said container, a cover handle on said cover to rotate said cover by relative movement of said handles, a single opening in said rim adjacent said cover handle whereby with said handles spaced said rim may be inserted under said second Ins and said opening passed down over said first lug to position said cover on said container, movement of said handles together thereafter bringing said rim beneath both lugs to lock said cover, a recess in the top of said rim substantially opposite said opening, said recess being slightly longer than said second lug and having a locking edge diametrically opposite the central portion of said opening whereby said locking edge will be in engagement with said second lug when said opening is only partially beneath said first lug to prevent unlocking rotation of said cover when there is pressure within said container urging said cover upwardly.

2. A pressure cooker as claimed in claim 1 in which the counter-clockwise ends of said opening and said recess with said opening and recess partially beneath said lugs form oppositel related bearing areas, the common axis of which is offset from the center of the cover whereby pressure exerted on said cover causes said cover to tilt about said common axis to raise said looking edge and insure engagement between said edge and said second lug.

WILLARD L. MORRISON, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 836,555 Birnie Nov. 20, 1906 1,369,249 Kroupa Feb. 22, 1921 1,887,700 Stevens Nov. 15, 1932 2,101,756 Saunders Dec. 7, 1937 2,154,450 Eshbaugh et al. July 4, 1939 2,164,478 Smith July 4, 1939 2,198,125 Nelson Apr. 23, 1940 2,201,314 Illsley May 21, 1940 2,218,188 Wittenberg Oct. 15, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 309,308 Germany Nov. 13, 1918 

